STAR SI, S, A, B, M User Guide

AUTOMATIC PISTOL

"STAR"

STAR, BONIFACIO ECHEVERRIA, S. A.

EIBAR (SPAIN)

MODELS

SI .32 auto = 7,65 mm.

S. 380 auto = 9 mm. short.

A .38 auto = 9 mm. long
B 9mm. Luger = Parab.
M .38 Auto = 9 mm. long

P .45 auto =

CALIBERS

LOADING AND FIRING OPERATION OF STAR PISTOLS

MODELS SI - S - A - B - M & P

TO LOAD THE MAGAZINE

Hold the magazine (53) in the left hand and place a cartridge on the front end

magazine follower (54) until it can be slid in under the lips of the magazine well. Place

another cartridge on top of the first one and force down and slide in. Follow this procedure

until the magazine contains whatever cartridges are to

Insert the magazine in the grip and push in until the magazine catch (28) engages

in its slot in the magazine well.

TO LOAD THE PISTOL

Hold the pistol firmly
guard and grasp the slide (65) firmly at its serrated section with the left hand and draw to
the rear as far as it will go. (If the hammer (06) is cocked before the slide is withdrawn.
the slide will come back much easier because it has less spring tension to overcome.)

Release the slide. The recoil spring (83) pulls it forward. The front breechblock face
of the slide strips the cartridge from
extractor (66) set in the face of the breechblock, snaps into the extracting groove of the

cartridge case.

FIRING OPERATION

Hold the weapon firmly. Pressure on the trigger (19) will free the hammer (06) from
the sear (14) to permit the hammer spring (09) pushing upward on the strut (which is

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in the right hand with the trigger finger outside the trigger

between the magazine lips and chambers it. The

be used.

of

the

attached to the hammer) to rock the hammer forward on its axis (11) to strike the firing

pin (70) mounted in its slot in the slide. The firing pin will fly forward to strike and fire the
cartridge in the chamber.

When the powder in the cartridge case is ignited by the primer it generates a huge

volume of gas. This gas expands in all directions, but as the least resistance is offered

by the bullet directly ahead of it, it starts the bullet down the barrel
following along after it during its travel. Meanwhile, the outward thrust of the gases press
the brass cartridge case firmly against the walls of the firing chamber, preventing gas
from leaking back past the cartridge case.

The backward thrust of the gases inside the cartridge case press the case back

against the breechblock which, in these pistols, is part of the slide.

The barrel and slide are locked together

which engage slots in the underside of the slide. They remain securely locked together

during the moment of high breech pressure. They go back for a short distance firmly

locked together.

As the bullet leaves the barrel and the chamber pressure falls to safe limits, the
resilient brass case contracts to its normal size, moving
chamber. The barrel, swinging backwards on its link, which is firmly attached to the frame
by the slide stop pin passing through it, is forced downward by the continuing rearward
motion. The rear of the barrel strikes against its stop in the frame and its reaward action
is halted: while the slide continues on backwards in a straight line in its grooves in the

frame. The extractor, mounted in the breechblock face, carries the empty cartridge case

out of the firing chamber with it.

When the breechblock end of the slide passes completely over the mouth of the
magazine below, the ejection port in the right-hand side of the slide is fully exposed.

by

the locking ribs on the top of the barrel

away

(61),

the gas pressure

from the walls of the firing

At thispoint the cartridge case strikes against the ejector in the frame which frees it from
the extractor and hurls it out the right-top-side of the pistol.

The barrel bushing (78) around the muzzle of the barrel, which also locks and
supports the recoil spring plug (84), presses back against the plug to compress the recoil
spring (83) below the barrel over the recoil spring guide (80). This stores up energy for
return movement of the slide.

The momentum of the slide strikes the hammer a sharp blow, driving it back to the

full-cock position where the sear spring (16) forces the point of the sear (14) into the

notch on the hammer to hold it at full-cock.

As the hammer (06) rocks back on its axis (11), it forces down the strut which is
attached to it and the bottom of the strut, being mounted in the hammer spring plunger
(10) above the hammer spring (09) in the grip, thrust downward to compress the hammer
spring to provide energy for the next forward motion of the hammer.

At the first rearward motion of the slide, the beveled niche in the underside of
the slide exerts pressure on the rounded head of the interrupter (25), forcing it down
against the sear bar (23) to diesengage it from the tail of the sear (14) while finger

pressure on the trigger is maintained.

The fore-end of the sear bar (23) presses against the trigger plunger (22) which

returns the trigger to firin position, under the pressure of its spring (21) to permit
engagement of the sear (14) when the slide next goes forward to the fully closed position
and finger pressure on the trigger is momentarily released.

The magazine spring (56) forces the follower (54) up, pressing the cartridges inside

the magazine well against the magazine retaining lips so that the head of the top cartridge

is in direct line with the breechblock which will strip it forward into the firing chamber

when the slide again goes forward.

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When the magazine has been emptied, the slide stop (41) engages the slide and
holds it open, thus serving as an indicator to remind the shooter that the empty magazine
must be replaced by a loaded one.

Pressing down the slide stop will depress the magazine follower and permit the

slide to go forward. If a loaded magazine is inserted before the slide stop is depressed,

this forward motion of the slide will load the firing chamber, leaving the pistol ready for

inmediate action.
SAFETIES

A thumb safety (36) is provided, which when at its topmost position, positively locks
the hammer and slide.

TO DISASSEMBLE THE PISTOL FOR CLEANING PURPOSES

First, check to be sure that there is no cartridge left in the firing chamber. Depress

1.

the magazine catch button (29) on the left side of the pistol back of the trigger, and
withdraw magazine.

2.

Push the recoil spring plug (84) below the barrel muzzle inward with the index finger
of the right hand (or butt of magazine) far enough to permit the barrel bushing (78)
which locks the barrel to be turned to the right until the plug goes forward under
the tension of the recoil spring. (Care should be taken not to let the plug to jump

away). (See fig. 3 and 4).

3.

Cock the hammer. Pull the slide back until the rear edge of the smaller recess in the

lower edge of the slide is even with the rear end of the slide stop. Press the index

finger of the right hand against the end of the slide stop which protudes from the

opposite side of the frame obove the trigger guard and pull out the slide stop

(See fig. 5).

4.

As this slide stop is the medium by which the barrel link and slide are locked to the
frame, withdrawing it releases the barrel and slide assembly, which may then together

be drawn from the frame, carrying also the recoil spring, recoil spring guide and
barrel bushing. (See fig. 6).

5.

The barrel bushing, recoil spring and its guide may now be pulled out of the slide.

(See fig. 7).

6.

The barrel

This is all the disassembling necessary to properly clean the pistol.

may

then be drawn out if the link is tilted forward (See fig. 8).

TO REASSEMBLE THE PISTOL AFTER CLEANING

Reverse this procedure. When replacing slide on frame, pull slide back so that the

barrel link lines up with the hole from which the slide stop was removed.

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